Dotcom also has had an increasing eye on privacy in light of his battles with the U.S. government over his MegaUpload site. Last year, the government accused Dotcom of using MegaUpload as a "criminal enterprise" to illegally house copyright-protected files.

In connection with that case, New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) spied on Dotcom to gather information about him prior to an arrest. But the GCSB isn't allowed to spy on its citizens and conducted surveillance on Dotcom under the false impression that he was not yet a New Zealand citizen.

Dotcom eventually was forced to hand over all the data files from MegaUpload's servers. Backups of those files were stored on hosting site LeaseWeb until they were deleted this past month, prompting a slew of angry tweets from its founder.

About the author

Journalist, software trainer, and Web developer Lance Whitney writes columns and reviews for CNET, Computer Shopper, Microsoft TechNet, and other technology sites. His first book, "Windows 8 Five Minutes at a Time," was published by Wiley & Sons in November 2012.
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